David Condon Finds

Every year on March 17th, Ireland celebrates St Patrick’s Day. It has become something quite remarkable. Cities across the world turn green, Irish flags appear in places you wouldn’t expect, and people with only the faintest connection to Ireland suddenly feel a little bit Irish for the day. In many ways it’s something special. Very few countries have a national day that the entire world seems happy to celebrate with them.

Introduction – A Changing Country Ireland has changed an awful lot in a very short space of time. Anyone who grew up here in the 1980s or 1990s can see it clearly. The country feels different, the towns feel different, and in many ways the sense of national identity that once felt obvious has become harder to define. That doesn’t necessarily mean change is always bad. Countries evolve, societies move forward and new people arrive with new ideas and experiences. Ireland itself has a long history of people leaving and settling in other parts of the world, building lives far from the island where they were born. Many, never to return again.  In fact, that global Irish identity is something I reflected on recently in my post  Did St Patrick Change Ireland Forever? , where I looked at how Ireland’s past helped shape the sense of Irishness that still echoes around the world each St Patrick’s Day.

Ireland — and County Kerry in particular — is one of the most beautiful places in the world when the sun shines. But thanks to our spot on the edge of Europe, right out in the wild Atlantic, we also get more than our fair share of rain and famously unpredictable weather. If you happen to be visiting in August, you might enjoy my post Puck Fair in Killorglin – Ireland’s Oldest Festival , which gives a look at what makes this famous Kerry event so special (even when it rains!). We’d love nothing more than to guarantee you perfect blue skies to match the stunning scenery — but that’s not something even the Irish can promise. As the Irish comedian Pat Shortt once joked: “ It would be a lovely little country if you could only roof it. ” The good news is that rainy days don’t have to ruin your plans. Kerry is packed with great indoor activities, hidden gems, and local experiences that make the most of a drizzly day. Whether you're looking for things to do in Tralee when it rains, ...

When people talk about Covid’s impact on small businesses, it’s usually reduced to statistics, closures, and government supports. Percentages. Graphs. Headlines. But behind every “small business affected” story was a person trying to hold something together while the ground shifted beneath them. Mine was one of them. For a long time, I wanted to write about the real impact Covid had on my business. Until I created David Condon Finds, I didn’t really have the right outlet for a post like this. My main website focuses on woodturning and products. This story is different. It’s about survival. Before Covid – The Build Years My business didn’t exist before July 2015. For about a year prior, I was returning to woodcraft after working in other industries for 5 years. To say I was rusty was an understatement. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed returning to my roots and often found myself still working after normal business hours ended. I did not watch the clock anymore like I did when I worked for a ...

This is a question that comes up all the time, usually from two very different types of people. As an adult LEGO builder myself, I hear it more and more. One group is genuinely curious. They love LEGO, remember it from childhood, and are now coming back to it as adults. They’re wondering if buying a bigger set today might hold its value later. The other group is looking at LEGO purely as an asset class, spreadsheets open, resale charts loaded, hoping to beat the stock market with plastic bricks. Both are asking the same question. But they’re really asking it for very different reasons.

My connection to Killorglin runs deep. Both sides of my family come from this vibrant Kerry town, and I spent a lot of my early years there. I remember the fairs, the markets, and the hum of local life that filled every corner, a real sense of community and tradition that stays with you. Every August, Killorglin’s streets fill once again with music, markets, cattle, horses and sheep. A fair like no other in the world. For centuries, locals have gathered to crown a wild mountain goat as King Puck. Strange? Yes. Wonderful? Absolutely. And it’s that mix of the unusual and the traditional that makes Puck Fair so memorable. A Kerry Tradition Older Than Most Puck Fair has run, in some form, for over 400 years. It began as a cattle fair and grew into something much bigger, part trading event, part carnival, part reunion for families scattered across Ireland and beyond. You’ll find: • Livestock trading • Street music • Market stalls • The travelling amusements of William Bird & S...

Walk through any craft fair in Kerry and you’ll spot it – that moment when someone runs their hand across a woollen blanket or picks up a wooden bowl and just smiles. That’s the magic of Irish craft gifts. I’ve spent years creating and selling handcrafted Irish hardwood pieces myself, so I’ve seen first-hand what makes a true Irish craft gift special — the time, care, and personality behind each one.

If you’ve collected LEGO for any length of time, you’ll know that feeling, the sinking realisation when a set you meant to buy suddenly disappears from the shelves. One week it’s sitting there on LEGO.com  with a big yellow “Backorder” button, and the next week it’s gone. Retired. Finished. And of course, two minutes later it’s €1,000–€1,500 on eBay.

I’ll start this by saying that this post applies to tourists coming to Ireland on vacation or holiday, and to our own “staycationers” who are brave enough to holiday at home. It’s written as a broad, practical guide for getting the most out of your time here, whatever the weather. If you do happen to find yourself in Kerry at any point, many of these ideas apply just as well there too.

How Airbnb Experience Reviews Really Work — A Guide for Hosts and Guests This guide is for both new Airbnb Experience Hosts  and curious Guests who want to understand how the Airbnb review system really works . Reviews on Airbnb aren’t just a formality, they directly affect a Host’s visibility, bookings, and reputation. Even well-meaning feedback  like dropping a star, making a vague comment, or answering Airbnb's extra questions without much thought can hurt a Host’s score and reduce their chances of getting future bookings. Many people don’t realise how easily this happens, or how much it can impact a small business. Note: This post originally lived on my main site, David Condon Woodcraft, but I’ve rehomed it here to keep that site focused purely on woodcraft and woodturning. This topic fits more naturally on David Condon Finds, where I write about platforms, experiences, and wider observations beyond the workshop. I was brought up with the phrase 'If you've nothing good...